Why breakfast is new war zone for children’s health
Children are eating a whole day’s worth of sugar before they even get to school, discovers AMY PACKER
WE’VE long been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And while parents who sit their families down at the kitchen table feel more virtuous than those who chuck a cereal bar at them as they run out of the door, that’s not necessarily the reality.
Because when you look at the small print, the UK’s children are consuming vast quantities of sugar every single morning. In fact, shocking research has found that many of our children are going to school having consumed the maximum amount they should eat in a whole day.
A survey of 4,000 parents and children by Whole Earth peanut butter found the typical weekday breakfast of 12-15-year-olds contained 97% of free sugars recommended by Public Health England.
Free sugars are defined as any sugars added to a food or drink, whether at home or in ready-made products, as well as the sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juices. It seems children are, on average, eating 29g of free sugars, equal to seven sugar cubes each morning. That’s only just shy of the maximum daily guideline of 30g for those aged over 11.
Primary school children fared a little better, but the average eight-year-old’s breakfast still contains 15g sugar – that’s around two-thirds of the 24g daily maximum advised for seven to 10-year-olds.
The biggest breakfast culprits appear to be sugar-laden cereals, chocolate sprea spreads and fruit ju juice, all of which are packed with f free sugars.
Many parents don’t realise that the process of juicing fruit r removes its fibre, tu turning the fruit sug sugars into dama damaging free sugars, which can have a huge impact on a child’s behaviour. In contrast, there’s no need to limit naturally occurring sugars in a piece of fruit.
MOOD-ALTERING MEALS
CUTTING back on free sugars is important for health reasons. Large amounts of sugar have been found to affect memory and cause swings in blood sugar, altering children’s mood and leaving them grouchy and less able to concentrate.
It’s unsurprising, therefore, that more than half of the children surveyed said they sometimes felt tired or lacked energy at school.
Additionally, frequently consuming sugary foods and drinks increases the risk of tooth decay, which affects 23% of five-year-olds.
Sugary foods can also contribute to an excess of calories, which over time can lead to weight gain.
It’s one of the culprits that has meant a third of children are now overweight when they start secondary school.
It alters their moods, leaving them grouchy and less able to concentrate.